To combat the frosty chill of winter, some of my favourite warming recipes are unquestionably soups. But beware, not all soups are created equally. You might think they’re healthy because of all that cuddly ‘hearty’ and ‘homely’ PR that goes into them, but take a little look at the label first: a lot of those you’ll find on the supermarket shelves are super-high in sugars and fats, so that they taste impossibly supreme, and because they’re in liquid form, they get metabolised very quickly. These soups are calorie ‘wolves’ dressed in sheep’s clothing! One way to be sure about what you’re nourishing yourself with is to make it from scratch, which helps to ensure added freshness and keep costs down. That’s always my procedure with soups, and is exactly what I did for this healthy and warming ‘Avocado, Broccoli and Chicken Velouté’, bursting with healthy fats, high quality lean proteins, and a metabolic boost to kick! Click ‘MORE’ to find out why it’s healthy, to get the ‘how to’ and see the recipe!

Instructions

Why is it so healthy?

KEY INGREDIENT 1 – RIPE AVOCADO
Packed with healthy fats and a decent amount of dietary fibre too (27g per 100g), the good monounsaturated fat work wonders for skin, hair, training results and general well being. It also boosts levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, which can help to protect against damage from free radicals. You don’t need to skip fats to lose weight – the body needs them for a range of functions, and avocado is rich in what we need! So too are almonds for that matter – throw them in too!

KEY INGREDIENT 2 – GREEN FRESH JALEPENO CHILLI
Chilli is full of immune-stimulating and health-promoting properties. One component is capsaicin (which gives it the spicy kick, and is a strong anti-diabetic). It also has anti-bacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties, whilst reducing (bad) LDL cholesterol levels. These Jalepeno peppers are pretty fiery (2500 on the Scoville scale of ‘can you handle the heat?’), and are more than enough to raise your metabolism a few notches too! It’s rich in vitamin-C (100g chilli = c.240% of RDA) which is immune boosting and fights free radicals from the body. There’s a good amount of minerals such as potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium too, all of which will help regulate the blood pressure. It also provides your body with its required dose of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin and thiamin (vitamin B-1).

There’s nothing quite like homemade soup. This recipe is wonderful, packed with super ingredients, and of course with a little kick from the jalapeño. I’ll be buying the ingredients a bit later, and really look forward to trying out the recipe. Thanks so much Faya.

[…] recipes over the past few months, you’ll know I’m slightly in love with avocado – be it avocado veloute, guacamole or avocado chocolate mousse to mention but a few. My recipes aim to be quick easy, […]